World Trade Center To Get Its Shop On

A place for solace, a place for some sweet, sweet consumer fetishism. The Port Authority has unveiled plans for the shopping concourse at the new PATH Transit Hub at the World Trade Center. This shopping complex would have 200,000 square feet of shops and restaurants, and the Port Authority said the design "demonstrates how sensitive we're going to be with the memorial. Santiago [Calatrava, designer of the PATH terminal] has designed it carefully so you don't lose any of the beauty or the significance of the architecture." Of course, they had to emphasize there wouldn't be any shops at the memorial part of the World Trade Center, as it was also revealed that the WTC memorial had completed 20% of its $500 million fundraising campaign. Some say that the campaign hasn't even been "ramped up" aggressively while those associated with the fundraising say it will be a challenge to attract donations. Sigh, poor, poor World Trade Center Memorial, marginalized by al, spotlight stolen by combative constituents and not as clear-cut as a shopping center. Hopefully one day you will get built.